What an amazing experience Hobbiton was! The whole surrounding area really did feel magical and to be on that ground felt really special. The fact that that land was just some family’s farmland was incredible, but really shows how beautiful the entire country is. The rolling hills and beautiful lush grasses and trees made this location breathtaking, but there was a lot more than the beauty of it that went into the decision making to choose it for the filming location.
Peter Jackson had to match the location of Hobbiton and it’s portrayal in the films to how the town is described in the books, so he had a template of what he was looking for. If a possible location had no party tree, though he could construct one out of steel and silicon and thousands of fake leaves, missing that key element would certainly damage the chances of that location being chosen. The location scouts had to envision where each element of the town would go, from the hobbit holes to the party tree to the pub. The fact that Hobbiton has its scenic little pond right next to the pub made it a great candidate, and the area for hobbit holes and a giant party tree all but sealed the deal.
However, it proved to be not quite so simple for Peter Jackson. Once filming began, he ran into some issues with the location. One rather annoying one was with the small man made pond that had to be included near the middle of the town. Though it is quite aesthetic and matches the description of the town in the book, it soon became over run with frogs that were so loud that they disturbed filming. Jackson had to have the frogs removed, which solved his problem. Had this been a large lake adjacent to the property that was making this much noise, there would be nothing that could be done. Surrounding noise is something that needs careful consideration, and thankfully Hobbiton didn’t provide any noise that permanently altered filming.
In addition, Jackson also didn’t have the trees he wanted at this location. The story spoke of a plum tree in Hobbiton and a hobbit sitting under it, but when Jackson considered adding a plum tree he noticed they were not the right size for a hobbit. So, he stripped the leaves off a tree that was already there and off suitable size, and made it into a plum tree with artificial leaves, having them added one by one by hand. He also needed a big tree above Bag End, but in true Peter Jackson style was very particular about what he wanted. He decided to build a giant tree out of steel and silicon, including thousands of fake leaves from a factory in Taiwan. Having the right kind of vegetation for the film is certainly a huge consideration, because most films do not have the budget Lord of the Rings had and don’t always have the leisure of building giant trees if they need them.
It was so cool being at Hobbiton. After we went, Jack and I watched the first Hobbit film and it was really exciting having been to the town and to Bag End and all the important locations there. I can’t wait to watch the rest of the Hobbit films and re watch the Lord of the Rings trilogy!
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